Travel pool note #9 // Arrival at Bestepe Presidential Compound

We pulled into the Bestepe Presidential Compound at 3:20 p.m. Press vans peeled off from the main motorcade a minute earlier to get in place for the arrival.

It was an uneventful drive with the sides of the roads leaving the base covered with barricades, some with advertising, and some with official welcome to NATO signage. The route felt very locked down.

There were lots of police officers on the route faced away from us, seemingly scanning the horizon. The scenery is beautiful, sort of yellow rolling hills, and there were lots of what looked like newly planted trees held up by stakes, an overall very Mediterranean feel. The flags of NATO countries lined part of the route.

Megan Messerly

White House reporter

POLITICO

Megan Messerly

White House reporter

POLITICO